More often than not, a steak is one of the most filling and comfortable meals that you would love to have many times a week. A steak is one of the richest forms of meat that you have grown up to enjoy. Though it is advisable that humans shouldn’t eat too much red meat, the same may not be the case for cats. In fact, according to research, steak is one of the best foods you can give to your cats, but in moderation.
Here, we proceed to tell you if steak is really good for cats, and if you can continue to give steak to cats regularly. Are there any health risks associated with steaks? We will address this question as well in the following sections.
Steak and cats
You may be thrilled to know that steaks are rich in Vitamin B12, iron, niacin, protein, niacin, selenium, and zinc. Cats are obligate carnivores, and they can eat only meat-based diets. So, cats do benefit a lot, if they at a little steak regularly. However, you have to remember an important point when changing your cat’s diet to include steak in it.
Yes, steaks are good for cats. However, does that mean you can change your cat’s diet to make it a steak-only option? Definitely, not! While it does contain a lot of benefits, steaks should never be the only item in your cat’s diet. This will not give your feline the daily dietary requirements it needs. You should always choose proper feline food, recommended by the vet, to ensure that your pets get a balanced diet, and stay healthy throughout their lifespan.
Why should steaks be an important part of your cat’s diet?
Vitamin B12
Out of the many nutrients found in steak, the most important one is Vitamin B12. Cats do not produce Vitamin B12 naturally in their bodies; therefore, they depend on their foods to absorb this component. Vitamin B12 helps to improve a cat’s digestive systems, nervous system and overall immunity.
The main challenge in relating Vitamin B12 with cats is that even though cats absorb this from their foods, it gets depleted from their bodies after a few days. In a healthy cat, the Vitamin B12 that gets absorbed from its food stays for just about 12 to 13 days. However, in a sick cat, this component stays inside for 5 days only. When the Vitamin B12 sources near depletion, it is important for cats to replenish this to stay healthy.
Hence, we would definitely recommend you to give steaks to cats, in moderation, at regular intervals, to replenish the feline’s internal Vitamin B12 resources. If cats don’t have enough Vitamin B12, it leads to severe gastrointestinal issues, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, weight loss, and more. So, Vitamin B12 is important for a cat’s overall wellbeing, and steaks have a lot of it!
Proteins
As you all know, proteins are the building blocks of our body. So, cats need enough proteins in their meat-rich diets, to stay healthy throughout their lifespan. A small amount of steak gives a lot of proteins to a cat and keeps it full. It controls a cat’s appetite and helps in managing weight. Sometimes, if your cat has had a heavy steak meal in the morning, it may not eat at all during the rest of the day. If you notice this, you don’t have to worry at all. Your cat is just feeling full and doesn’t feel the need to eat until it is hungry.
What to note while feeding steak to cats
There are a few important points you should note when feeding steak to cats. They are:
Plain steaks only
You should give plain steaks only to your felines. You should keep them away from fat trimmings and bones, at all costs. When consumed in large quantities, fat trimmings can lead to feline obesity, whereas bones can increase the risk of choking in cats. Before feeding steaks to casts, remember to remove the fat trimmings, bones, and splinters, if any.
When cats consume a lot of fat and fat trimmings, it can lead to weight gain and some serious cardiac issues like strokes and heart attacks. This can also increase the blood pressure of cats phenomenally.
Beware of calorie countÂ
Since steaks are nice and juicy, your cats can never have enough of them. However, you have to be conscious about the calorie count and know that cats need just about 300 calories per day. Plain steaks, weighing about 3 ounces, contain almost 180 calories. So, it would help if you balanced the diet properly, to avoid obesity in cats.
The main challenge with cats putting on weight is that it is very difficult for them to lose the weight they have gained. Feline obesity leads to severe health issues like arthritis, diabetes, imbalance of movements, kidney damage, etc.
Raw steaks vs. cooked steak
While experts consider raw steak to be the best option for cats, you can feed them cooked steak as well, provided you haven’t cooked the steak with any fats, oils, spices, salt, onion, garlic, or other additional flavors.
Cats can be given raw steak, provided the steak has been sourced from hygienic sources. Ensure that the meat is free and doesn’t contain disease-spreading salmonella and E Coli bacteria. Also, always give boneless steak only to cats. They can choke on the bones and hard splinters found in raw meat. This can cause injuries to your cat’s mouth and digestive tract.
Final Word
Yes, cats can eat steak, because this meat is replete with some of the best minerals and nutrients needed for a cat. You can regularly give steak to cats, but in moderation, because it can replace a cat’s entire meal. Though it contains all the nutrients, it contains a lot of calories. Therefore, overconsumption of steak can lead to weight gain and gastrointestinal issues in cats. You might be surprised to know that steaks are so healthy, that you can give small amounts of them to kittens as well, even though their digestive and immune systems are not fully developed.